Excerpt from An Oration, Pronounced at Bridport, July 4, 1829 From the hands of such men, our country received its Independence; and to their hands was committed the dif ficult task of framing a government, and commencing an administration 'of it, which should secure the blessings of that independence to themselves and their children. What their valor had won, they proved themselves competent to secure, by a system of government, which may justly be regarded as the richest product of human wisdom. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Focusing on the origins, precepts and values of the Antimasonry Party (the first third party in the U.S.) and its effect on society, Goodman here presents a sweeping reinterpretation of the ideology, class formation, religious tension, and gender conflict in early 19th-century America.